A toy museum is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
for
toy
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...
s. They typically showcase toys from a particular culture or period with their history. These are distinct from
children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums fea ...
s, which are museums for children, and are often interactive – toy museums may be aimed at children or adults, and may have interactive exhibits or be exclusively for display.
Notable toy museums
![Spielzeugmuseum tartu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Spielzeugmuseum_tartu.jpg)
The following lists only museums specializing in toys, whose collections are open for public viewing. Some museums such as the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
have toys on display in their permanent collection, but are not full-fledged toy museums and as such are not listed here. Also, organizations. such as The Doll and Toy "Museum" of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
that hold toy collections but are not open for public viewing are not listed here.
Africa
*Toy and Miniature Museum,
,
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
Americas
;North
Canada
*National Toy Museum of Canada,
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...
USA
*The
National Farm Toy Museum, a museum located in
Dyersville
Dyersville is a city in eastern Delaware County and western Dubuque County in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,477 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,035 in 200 ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
that specializes in preserving and displaying
scale models, replicas, and toys based on
farm equipment.
*
The Harold Bell Wright Museum/Toy Museum as known as The World's Largest Toy Museum displayed American toys from the 1800s to 1990s including
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
and 1950 Western toys in
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...
.
*The
National Toy and Miniature Museum in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
boasts a collection of more than 300,000 items.
*
Strong - National Museum of Play
The Strong National Museum of Play (known as just The Strong Museum or simply the Strong) is part of The Strong in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1969 and based initially on the personal collection of Rochester native Margaret ...
- in
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, founded in 1982, that documents the history of play in American culture. It includes the
National Toy Hall of Fame
The National Toy Hall of Fame is a U.S. hall of fame that recognizes the contributions of toys and games that have sustained their popularity for many years. Criteria for induction include: icon status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and ...
- a
hall of fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
for popular toys, opened in 1998.
*Spencer Doll and Toy Museum
Spencer, North Carolina
Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,267.
History
The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credi ...
*The
Toy and Plastic Brick Museum
Toy and Plastic Brick Museum is located in Bellaire, Ohio. The museum has been known as "Unofficial LEGO(r) Museum" and "The Plastic Brick Store, INC." The museum is host to an extensive private collection of LEGO, as well as works by brick artis ...
in Bellaire,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, USA. Founded in 2006.
;South
*The Buenos Aires Toy Museum,
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
*Toy Museum,
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
,
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Asia
*
Hong Kong International Hobby and Toy Museum,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, was opened in 2011. Exhibits include toy cars, dolls, action figures, cartoon characters, science fiction collectibles, model rockets, Japanese anime, classic toys and more.
*
Shankar's International Dolls Museum
The International Dolls Museum is a large collection of dolls in Delhi, India. It was set up by K. Shankar Pillai, a political cartoonist. Housed in the Children's Book Trust building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, accessed through a separate ent ...
, a large collection of dolls in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, India, opened in 1965.
*The
Toy Museum of Ahmedabad, in Ahmedabad, INDIA World heritage city toy museum by Raheel Pate
*
Penang Toy Museum in Penang, Malaysia displays more than 120,000 items of figures, dolls and 60 life size figures. It is the largest collection of toys in the world. It was founded in 2002 by a professional engineer.
*
Malacca Toy Museum in Malacca, Malaysia.
*
Japan Spinning Top Museum
The Japan Spinning Top Museum (日本独楽博物館) is a toy museum located in the city of Nagoya, central Japan.
History
The spinning top, called ''koma'' (独楽) was and still is a popular traditional toy in Japan and the Chubu region. The ...
,
Nagoya, Aichi
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
*Karuzawa Erz Toy Museum (
エルツおもちゃ博物館・軽井沢),
Karuizawa, Nagano
is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most ...
, a sister museum of the
Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen
The Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen (german: Erzgebirgische Spielzeugmuseum Seiffen) is an internationally known museum of Ore Mountain toys and Ore Mountain folk art. It was opened in 1953 in Seiffen. In 1973 it was joined by the Ore Mountain ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
* Tokyo Toy Museum (
東京おもちゃ美術館),
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
* Yokohama Doll Museum (
横浜人形の家),
Yokohama, Japan
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
*The
Istanbul Toy Museum - a small museum founded in 2005, and located in the
Göztepe district of
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Europe
;Eastern
*The
Tartu Toy Museum in
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...
,
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
. Was opened in 1994 and now holds more than 20,000 items.
*The Vilnius Toy Museum in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, presents the history of Lithuanian toys. The space of the museum is divided into an archeological space, containing the oldest toys, an ethnographic space, showcasing 19th-20th century toys, and a third space introducing more modern toys.
*The
Saint Petersburg Toy Museum - a non-state cultural establishment, Russia. Founded in 1997.
*The
State Museum of Toys (Kyiv),
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
;Western
*The
Mechelen Toy Museum in the
Nekkerspoel
Nekkerspoel is a neighbourhood of Mechelen, Belgium, immediately east of the city. The name means pool of one or more '' Nekkers'' or water demons. and it is presumed that in earlier centuries locals taking a shortcut through the marshlands, of whi ...
hamlet of
Mechelen
Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. Founded in 1982 and officialized in 1998.
*The
Musée du jouet, in
Poissy
Poissy () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Pisciacais'' in French.
Poissy is one of ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
*The Suomenlinna Toy Museum, est. 1985, located in
Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna (; until 1918 Viapori, ), or Sveaborg (), is an inhabited sea fortress the Suomenlinna district is on eight islands of which six have been fortified; it is about 4 km southeast of the city center of Helsinki, the capital of Finla ...
Sea Fortress,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.ref>http://www.lelumuseo.fi
*The
Nuremberg Toy Museum
The Nuremberg Toy Museum (also known as Lydia Bayer Museum) in Nuremberg, Bavaria, is a municipal museum, which was founded in 1971. It is considered to be one of the most well known toy museums in the world, depicting the cultural history of toy ...
- a toy museum in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
, Germany. Founded in 1971.
*The
Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen
The Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen (german: Erzgebirgische Spielzeugmuseum Seiffen) is an internationally known museum of Ore Mountain toys and Ore Mountain folk art. It was opened in 1953 in Seiffen. In 1973 it was joined by the Ore Mountain ...
, in Germany is an internationally known toy museum with a collection of unique wooden toys typical of the
Ore Mountains region.
*The
Benaki Toy Museum, in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
[https://www.benaki.org/index.php?option=com_collections&view=collection&id=17&Itemid=162&lang=el]
*
Rhodes Toy Museum, the first toy museum in Greece with exclusive Greek toys.
*The Museo Valenciano del Juguete de Ibi (Alicante)
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
Founded in 1986. Toys of XIX and XX centuries.*The Museo Etnográfico del Soldadito Antiguo Spain
Founded in 2021. Tin and Plastic Toys of XX century.*The Museu del Joguet de Catalunya (Girona) Spain
Opened in 1970. Regional toys.*The Museo de los Soldaditos de Plomo (Valencia) Spain.
Set in a historic palace. Tin soldiers.
*The Tidö Toy Museum, in
Västerås
Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049.
Västerås ...
, Sweden.
*The
Swiss Museum of Games
Located on the shore of Lake Geneva between the cities of Vevey and Montreux, the Swiss Museum of Games in La Tour-de-Peilz
La Tour-de-Peilz () is a municipality in Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The city ...
, in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland.
*
Pollock's Toy Museum
'Pollock's Toy Museum'' is a small museum in London, England.
The museum was started in 1956 in a single attic room at 44 Monmouth Street, near Covent Garden. As the enterprise flourished, other rooms were taken over for the museum and th ...
- a small museum in
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
UK, first opened in 1956.
*The
Museum of Childhood (Edinburgh), on the
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...
, in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland.
*The
Brighton Toy and Model Museum
Brighton Toy and Model Museum (sometimes referred to as Brighton Toy Museum) is an independent toy museum situated in Brighton, East Sussex (registered charity no. 1001560). Its collection focuses on toys and models produced in the UK and ...
, in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, Sussex, England, has an extensive collection of toy and model trains, as well as many other toys, dolls, and construction toys, such as
Meccano
Meccano is a brand of scale model, model construction system created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. The system consists of reusable metal strips, plates, Structural steel#Common structural shapes, angle girders, wheels, axles and ...
.
Oceania
*The Toy Collector in Christchurch, New Zealand
www.the toycollector.co.nz
Former museums
*
The Bear Museum, a
teddy bear
A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...
museum, founded in
Petersfield
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth a ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
in 1984. Closed in 2006.
*The
Teddy Bear Museum of Naples
The Teddy Bear Museum of Naples was a visitor attraction located in north Naples, Florida, United States. It opened in December 1990 and closed in May 2005. It operated as a non-profit organization, received funding from donations, as well as pro ...
, a teddy bear museum, which opened in 1990 in north
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...
, and closed in 2005.
*The
Toy Town Museum
The Toy Town Museum is located on the Fisher-Price campus in East Aurora, New York. It was conceived by a group of local citizens in East Aurora and Western New York to help celebrate the toy making heritage in the area. There have been ove ...
is located in
East Aurora, New York
East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. It lies in the eastern half of the town of Aurora. The village population was 5,998 per the 2020 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metr ...
, the home of
Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York, East Aurora, New York (state), New York. The company was founded in 1930 during the Great Depressio ...
. It was located on the Fisher-Price campus although it operated as an independent entity. It is currently looking for a new location.
*The London Toy and Model Museum opened in 1982, in London, UK, and closed in 1999.
In popular culture
References
External links
{{Commonscat, Toy museums
Types of museums